Prior art electrical connectors abound. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,780 to Ono et al. describes a fusible link mounting method in which a fusible link is mounted onto a fusible link housing. A leg portion of the fusible link and a terminal of an electric wire are tightened and connected to each other by a bolt. The bolt is provisionally tightened with respect to the fusible link housing. The terminal having a bridge portion formed so as to be able to pass outside a head portion of the bolt slides in a direction at right angles to a bolt tightening direction to thereby position a connecting portion of the terminal between the head portion of the bolt and the leg portion of the fusible link. The bolt is tightened to thereby connect the leg portion of the fusible link and the connecting portion of the terminal to each other.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,995 to Fukushima et al., an electromagnetic interference shielded connector includes a plurality of electric wires, a connector housing and a metallic shielding shell. The plurality of electric wires has connecting parts at ends of the electric wires. The connector housing contains the electric wires and the connecting parts. The metallic shielding shell includes an electric-wire drawn-out portion through which the electric wires are drawn out and a terminal drawn-out portion from which the connecting parts are protruded and a shell ring which is attached to an outer circumferential surface of the electric-wire drawn-out portion to secure a braid to the shielding shell.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,586 to Ishizaki et al, a plurality of shielding terminals is made of an electrically-conductive material. Each shielding terminal includes a plate-shaped conducting plate portion and a shielding shell of a tubular shape which is formed in an upstanding manner on the conducting plate portion and is electrically connected to an electrically-conductive shielding member of a corresponding shielded wire. The conducting plate portions of the shielding terminals are held between a holder plate and an outer surface of a connector housing and are disposed on the outer surface of the connector housing. These conducting plate portions are fixed to the connector housing by bolts and the conducting plate portions are held in surface-to-surface contact with the outer surface of the connector housing.
However, the above examples of the prior art electrical connectors are not particularly suitable for high-current or high-voltage applications. Also, none of the above examples of the prior art electrical connectors has position assurance assemblies associated with them to assure accurate alignment of the male and female terminal upon matable engagement.